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Recording Festive Family Memories

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For most families, food is a huge part of the holiday season. After all, it’s hard to have a seasonal celebration without consuming festive treats, from cookies to cranberries and all sorts of other goodies in between.

What’s more, most clans have at least a few traditional dishes they make each December to share with loved ones. In our family, Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without my mom’s Cranberry Walnut Tart and Snowball cookies. In addition, prior to his passing, my grandfather would dutifully prepare a huge Prime Rib on Christmas Eve seasoned with his secret mix of spices. Nothing quite compared to my grandpa’s meaty recipe, and I could kick myself for not recording his secret blend of spices before he died.

Learn from my mistake and make the most of upcoming family gatherings this season. With so many generations under the same roof, now is the time to collect recipes that you can feature in a Christmas food-themed scrapbook. In addition to the directions for your family’s favorite dishes, consider taking or requesting a photo of the finished items that you can place on the layout next to the written recipes. Just be sure the pictures are clear and that you include a close-up shot as well as images of family members preparing the dish, and then consuming it. You could even include a few anecdotes about the prep or funny stories about the person who created the recipe. Remember, you are creating a recipe scrapbook, not a traditional recipe book, so feel free to add journaling blocks detailing why the dish became a family favorite. Also, don’t be shy about adding scrapbook embellishments that will enhance the page design, including stickers and stamps in shape or rolling pins, aprons and chef’s hats.

Finally, before adding the recipe to the scrapbook layout be sure to proofread your work. If you are planning to work out of the book, you don’t want to accidentally type “1 teaspoon” instead of “1 tablespoon” or inadvertently write “baking powder” instead of “baking soda.” Doing so will negate the purpose of preserving festive family recipes.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin.
Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.